Four days passed.

No sign of monsters.

Yet Tamatoa still found himself looking over his shoulder more often than he'd like to admit. When Moana started to notice his jumpiness, she became concerned.

"Are you okay?" She asked him one morning as they were husking coconuts on a far end of the island.

"Hm?" The crab tilted his head slightly in response. "Yeah, fine. Why?"

"I dunno. You seem a little on edge since that thing at the cave…"

"I'm fine, babe. You worry too much."

"… You sure?" The girl didn't seem convinced.

Tamatoa bit his tongue, falling silent for a moment. She'd just worry more if he kept brushing it off. He knew her well enough at this point to know that. "… Look. I'm… probably just overreacting."

"Overreacting to what?" Maui asked curiously, jumping to the crab's shell to put down a basket of coconuts collected.

With a sigh, the crustacean answered, "I heard some kind of creature while I was under the rocks. Was probably jus' some wildlife or something, but…"

"Ahh," The demigod chuckled knowingly. "Now look who's worrying too much." Leaning on his hook, Maui raised an eyebrow. "Haven't we been over this? No monster's going to get the best of us!" He patted the crab's head reassuringly, exuding confidence.

"Yeah," Moana agreed, "and besides, it's been, what, four days since then?" She mimicked Maui's grin. "If there really was another monster on the island, I think we'd have heard about it by now, right?"

…

Yeah.

They're probably right. They usually are.

I guess I just needed to hear someone say it out loud.

That talk seemed to do the trick. The crab gradually let himself relax, and everyone went about business as usual.

Whatever "usual" is anymore.

"And then… BOOM!" An audience of awe-stricken young eyes watched, mesmerized, as Maui swung his hook through the air. "I struck Te Ka right in the chest!"

"Did you kill it?" One of the wide-eyed children asked. They'd heard this story time and time again when Moana and Maui first returned from their ordeal, but every time they asked to hear it, they still loved to ask questions.

"No," Maui answered, lowering his voice as he leaned over the campfire to give his face an ominous glow, "Te Ka was stunned, but not defeated. She destroyed my hook, but did that stop the Hero Of All? No way!"

"Pfft," Tamatoa snickered, laying in the sand next to Moana. "What were ya gonna do, yell her to death?" Giving Moana a light pat on the head, he teased, "If it hadn't been for this little lady, you'd have been one heckuva barbeque."

Moana rolled her eyes with a chuckle, elbowing the crustacean. "We couldn't have done it without each other."

"Tamatoa, won't you tell us a story?" A child asked, turning her attention to the crab. "We wanna hear about Lalotai!"

"Uh. No you don't." Tamatoa answered flatly. He still didn't like the younger kids; they were annoying. Though he could tolerate them when they came to hang out with Moana or Maui, as little interaction with them as possible was preferred.

"Yes we do!" She persisted, some of the other kids backing her up.

"Pleeeeeeaaaaaaaaaaase?" They begged, watching him hopefully.

Tamatoa narrowed his eyes slightly with an annoyed chirp, remembering Wikoli pleading him in the same manner.

Moana noticed the annoyed look right away. In an attempt to play on his attention-seeking side, she nudged him playfully and said, "C'mon Tama, you wouldn't turn down such an eager audience, would you?"

Another chirp escaped him as he lifted his head. "Monsters don't tell stories."

"Sure you do," Maui contradicted, smirking. "You've told me plenty of stories before. Why don't you talk about that one guy you told me about… what was his name… Mano'ayhay?"

"Mana'aihue." Tamatoa corrected. After realizing he fell for that bait, he shot Maui a mildly annoyed look that said you're not helping. "Okay, fine." He conceded.

Tapping his chin slowly, he looked the children over. Well, they may be irritating, but they're an audience nonetheless, like Moana said. He'd been observing how Moana and Maui would tell tales, so he figured it should be simple enough to put on a show for these mini humans.

"There are many beasts that roam Lalotai, but none quite as elusive and mysterious as Mana'aihue. His very existence is a thing of debate." Narrowing his eyes into slits, Tamatoa went on, "Descriptions of his physical appearance are disputed. Some say he has wings like a dragon, black as the night. Others comment on his devilish sets of horns. It is argued whether he stands on two legs or runs on all four, quick as lightning… One thing that's been agreed on is that his reptilian-like body is covered in scales of orange, stripes of navy-black all over his face and body." The crab lifted his claw over the flames, casting a shadow over his face to activate his bioluminescence. "It is said that he will do most anything to get what he wants, no matter how ruthless."

The children's eyes widened when the markings appeared, huddling closer to each other. "What does he want…?" Came a nervous voice.

"What we all want. Power." The crustacean answered, voice lowered. With a sly smile, he asked, "Ever heard of Lemuria?"

"The Lost Land?" Moana queried, becoming curious herself.

"Yes, the Lost Land." Tamatoa continued, rising to his feet to pace, eyes on his audience all the while. "But before it was the Lost Land, it was Lemuria. A land of telepaths."

"What's a telepath?" A boy asked, frowning.

Tamatoa smirked, leaning down to get a better look at the kid, lightly brushing an antennae over his forehead as he explained. "A being that can look into your very mind, and can communicate to you with their own." Turning away for a moment, Tamatoa clicked his pincers together. "Mana'aihue is a stealer of supernatural abilities like that. And, rumour has it, Lemuria is where he began his quest for power."

Moana and Maui exchanged intrigued glances. This was the first Maui heard of Mana'aihue in such detail. The pair of them wondered if a creature with such an extraordinary ability could actually exist and go so unnoticed.

"The Lemurian people were of the peaceful sort, and had a strong connection to nature." Tamatoa explained, idly examining a claw. "Mana'aihue was no more than a simple beast of Lalotai back then. The reptile held a grudge against the Gods for making him a creature so insignificant. Knowing that deities would often come to the aid of dissatisfied humans, he would often find himself praying for a better life. When he got no response, he grew bitter, blaming every misfortune and grievance he had on them. Yet, somehow, he seemed internally aware of what he could be capable of. A voice within him urged him to search for more, to prove himself as something more than just another lonely resident of Lalotai. He left the Realm Of Monsters in search of something to quench his desires." Turning back to face the small crowd, Tamatoa began to pace again. "He was drawn to Lemuria. It was a mythical land; just what he had been looking for." Nearing the flames slowly, the crustacean's voice became an ominous hiss. "Mana'aihue was not a creature of peace like the Lemurians were. He was a creature driven by desire and power-hungry greed."

A trait we shared, Tamatoa commented bitterly to himself before going on.

"He demanded the people give up all their secrets to him, to answer his question as to why he was drawn there." The crab backed away from the flames once more. "He was not the patient type. When the Lemurians couldn't provide him with an answer…"

Without warning, the decapod lunged forward with snapping claws, hovering over the fire in such a way that the flames accented his bioluminescent glows. He smirked in satisfaction at the alarmed squeaks he got out of the children, and his tone took on a menacing, dark growl. "He made quick work of the first one that got in his way. It was the moment he touched that first Lemurian that he realized his ability, tuning into the thoughts of the remaining villagers in an instant. Overwhelmed by the flow of knowledge flooding his mind, he went into a frenzy, destroying the last of the inhabitants… and after finally adjusting to his new strength, he danced in delight, finally knowing what he was really capable of. With his newfound voice, he shouted to the skies." A chorus of chirps escaped the crab as he took on the persona of Mana'aihue. "Hear me! I am Mana'aihue! The Gods will rue the day they chose to forsake me! It is you that I will come for next!"

The crab jumped backwards, the impact he made when he landed making a loud thud!

"Just like that, the land began to crumble, folding in on itself. The Gods had finally responded to Mana'aihue, not to help him, but to get rid of him now that he was a threat." He paused for a moment, taking a moment to enjoy his audience's astonished expressions. Finally, he continued, "Everything fell apart. Lemuria was destroyed, just like its people had been only moments before." Tamatoa closed his eyes. "The ocean wept for the loss, covering the Lost Land in a blanket of somber waves."

"What… What happened to Mana'aihue…?" A girl whispered, quiet as if their island would crumble as well if her voice grew any louder.

Tamatoa opened one eye to glance at her, smiling lopsidedly. "Nobody knows. Some say he's dead. Others say that he escaped, lying in wait and manifesting his powers for a perfect moment to strike, and that's why he's so elusive."

Everyone was silent as they took in the story, stunned expressions on all of them.

"… But it's just a tale." Tamatoa commented, a bit weirded out by their silence. "Just a string of rumours from across Lalotai to form a dumb story." He shrugged.

"You kiddin'?!" Maui exclaimed with an entertained grin. "That was awesome, crab cake!" Moana and the children nodded in enthusiastic agreement.

"Oh. Heh. Well then…" With an enthused chirp, he gave an exaggerated bow. "I aim to please."